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Bought one of these today

05-31-2013, 08:01 PM

I have a large stack of 10 ga. sheets this shear will come in handy cutting up. It's a lot faster than setting up the plasma or torch, all I need is an extension cord and my straight edge...and plasma consumable will only continue go higher.

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Curious as to how long the blade will last on 10 gauge. I have one for lighter gauge but never use it. I dont like the distortion it makes. Also have a Modern nibbler but dont use it either.

I imagine speed and distortion has a lot to do with blade adjustment and the sharpness of the blades themselves. Pushing a dull tool could produce bad results.

I use a product by Walter on all my cutting edges, the stuff really makes a difference in the quality of a cut, life of a cutting edge and the performance of a tool. I'll be using it on the shears too.

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What's the difference between that and the Makita JS3200? I recently bought a 3200 and like it.

Probably not that much difference, especially if you like the way your's cuts. The product probably just needed a face lift to keep up with it's competition in the market place.

Glad you said you like yours. I have faith in the Makita brand.... if they say it was built to cut 10 ga I would assume the tool making nice clean cuts was on top of their list of things for the tool to accompolish.

Just like hacking with a to expensive to run plasma machine that sits in the corner... I use O/A and a tip cleaner mostly, they can stick their high price plasma consumables where the sun don't shine....metal doesn't know or care if it's cut by a saw, plasma or O/A outfit. or a Makita shears ...

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Just like hacking with a to expensive to run plasma machine that sits in the corner... I use O/A and a tip cleaner mostly, they can stick their high price plasma consumables where the sun don't shine....metal doesn't know or care if it's cut by a saw, plasma or O/A outfit. or a Makita shears ...

Tackit,
Now you've peaked my interest. I've been considering a plasma cutter and it would be nice to hear the opposing viewpoint. Everyone I've talked to either owns one or sells them. They have all said they are the "greatest thing since sliced bread". But one has to realise that salesmen and those that have invested in something may be reluctant to diss it. What kind do you have and what has been your experience? I currently use a vertical band saw(Doall) power hacksaw, O/A torch,chop saw or strand mounted manual shear for cutting.---Meltedmetal

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I have a Bosch shear in either 6 or 8 gage (not looking at it right now and memory isn't that great). Good tool, and it has its purpose, but for a nicely finished edge with less prep time I'd give the edge to my old Hypertherm 900. Actually for 10 ga. I have a couple of cheap Harbor Freight Skil type metal cutting saws that beat both for a nice precision edge...but they are an ungodly mess to operate throwing metal chips hither and yon! If cutting other than an absolutely straight line the Bosch can be more than a handful to keep under control.

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Tackit,
Now you've peaked my interest. I've been considering a plasma cutter and it would be nice to hear the opposing viewpoint. Everyone I've talked to either owns one or sells them. They have all said they are the "greatest thing since sliced bread". But one has to realise that salesmen and those that have invested in something may be reluctant to diss it. What kind do you have and what has been your experience? I currently use a vertical band saw(Doall) power hacksaw, O/A torch,chop saw or strand mounted manual shear for cutting.---Meltedmetal

ps forgot about arcair, haven't used it in a while.

Melted, I ain't sinking hundreds of dollars into an air system just to say I cut my parts with plasma. O/A has always done a great job for me whether it be heating, burning, straightening or brazing and I can do it anywhere on my 21 acres without an airline, water traps, filters, dryers, and expensive extension cords.

The quality of cut BS gets old too, O/A has been producing beautiful cuts for many many decades,,, and it can't get more simple than wheel the outfit to where the work is and turn on the tanks.

No doubt their are some jobs that Plasma is the best choice, but in my situation, it's just an expensive toy I don't need and would never buy another one... when the cost of consumables come down and are made water proof I might become interested in Plasma machines... until then I'll avoid using it as much as I can and continue to use O/A, the Ellis band saw, Evolution saw, Milwaukee chop saw and now the Makita to do my cutting.

Here's my expensive air system, since 2003 it's been serving me well.. 10 drops of oil in the air tools before I use them and I'm off to the races....

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Melted, I ain't sinking hundreds of dollars into an air system just to say I cut my parts with plasma. O/A has always done a great job for me whether it be heating, burning, straightening or brazing and I can do it anywhere on my 21 acres without an airline, water traps, filters, dryers, and expensive extension cords.

The quality of cut BS gets old too, O/A has been producing beautiful cuts for many many decades,,, and it can't get more simple than wheel the outfit to where the work is and turn on the tanks.

No doubt their are some jobs that Plasma is the best choice, but in my situation, it's just an expensive toy I don't need and would never buy another one... when the cost of consumables come down and are made water proof I might become interested in Plasma machines... until then I'll avoid using it as much as I can and continue to use O/A, the Ellis band saw, Evolution saw, Milwaukee chop saw and now the Makita to do my cutting.

Not trying to start anything just going to give an unbiased response. I have worked in the fabricating business since 1986 & have used these cutting tools & processes constantly. You really knock plasma but the truth is it is a great tool if used correctly & you need it. For general home shop, farm & personal use the oxy/acet setup cannot be beat as the best bang for the buck but for someone who needs it a plasma is great. I have both. Cutting steel 1/8" & under quickly with no distortion is a plus. Cutting heavier plates with little heat quickens the handling time to be able to p/u the pc. & use it. Sure you can run it under water but it takes extra time. The other plus is oxy/acet doesn't work on stainless or aluminum. It all comes down to if you really need it or not. I don't have a fancy air setup, just an IR 60 gallon with a trap 12" from the tank & a trap on the back of my plasma, maybe $75 total for both. I keep the drain on the one on the plasma cracked slightly & don't have issues. My consumables last a long time. To me it's a money maker.

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Not trying to start anything just going to give an unbiased response. I have worked in the fabricating business since 1986 & have used these cutting tools & processes constantly. You really knock plasma but the truth is it is a great tool if used correctly & you need it. For general home shop, farm & personal use the oxy/acet setup cannot be beat as the best bang for the buck but for someone who needs it a plasma is great. I have both. Cutting steel 1/8" & under quickly with no distortion is a plus. Cutting heavier plates with little heat quickens the handling time to be able to p/u the pc. & use it. Sure you can run it under water but it takes extra time. The other plus is oxy/acet doesn't work on stainless or aluminum. It all comes down to if you really need it or not. I don't have a fancy air setup, just an IR 60 gallon with a trap 12" from the tank & a trap on the back of my plasma, maybe $75 total for both. I keep the drain on the one on the plasma cracked slightly & don't have issues. My consumables last a long time. To me it's a money maker.

Sorry for the hijack.

No need to be sorry MMW, your comments are appreciated and add to the discussion... But I don't need Plasma, if I did I would use it more often.

Your air system is shameful, you didn't put $3000 into it to build projects that you don't even need in the first place.

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I'm surprised to hear you would rather use o/a rather than your plasma. I have loved my plasma since I got it. The consumables are cheap for my machine and they last a long time if I don't get backs plashing. What plasma machine do you have? I do hear ya on oxy being a little more portable, but acetylene is not cheap and air is free. My plasma is dual voltage, and can cut 1/4" on 110v, while running off my small job site portable compressor.

Really interested to see a cut from your new shears too. I have always been happy with makita products, I'm sure you will love this!